Never Fear
by smallearthcat
Summary: Henry dies in Lucas' arms. It's only the beginning. Henry/Lucas slash.


It was stupid to bring Lucas along with him on an investigation, Henry had known that before he'd done it. The problem was that he'd needed someone there, someone who could and would stay up all night helping him sift through the contents of a warehouse. Abe would have done it, Henry knew that, but at Abe's age, staying up all night while sitting at home would have been bad enough. And Jo could have done it, had she been inclined to miss an entire night's sleep the day before she had to testify in court, but Henry couldn't ask that of her.

Lucas had been the only logical choice, though if Henry had known he'd die that night, he would have made sure he was alone. As it was, he heard the crack of the shot almost before he realized there was a figure at the end of the aisle they were in.

"Doc!" He heard Lucas yell, and that was unfortunate. That Lucas was there at all, that they'd decided to take opposite sides of the aisles rather than separate ones altogether, that the shot was on the mark, but not quite enough to kill him instantly.

"Lucas." Henry choked on a mouthful of blood and tried to make sure it ended up on his clothing rather than the ground; the less blood he left behind, the better. "You have to go," he managed to say, trying to raise his hand to push Lucas away. Unfortunately, his strength was fading fast, and he couldn't even lift his arm.

"Henry, you have to hold on." Lucas was crying, trying to staunch the blood flow, and thank God he hadn't yet thought to call for an ambulance.

"Go, they might come back."

"I can't leave you here." Lucas was crying so hard by then that it would be a miracle for him to be able to find his way out of the warehouse on his own. Henry could only hope that once he disappeared, Lucas would stay there long enough for him to return. "You can't die, Henry, I love you."

Henry breathed his last.

***

Henry inhaled a huge gulp of air, feeling as always, like he was being reborn. He swam to the shore as quickly as he could, climbing up to grab the spare set of clothing he'd stashed there after the last time this had happened. Thankfully, they hadn't been stolen. Henry dressed as quickly as he could and took off toward the warehouse, glad that it was nearby.

He made it there in just under ten minutes, skidding as he turned the corner of the aisle he'd left Lucas in. Lucas was still there, looking like he hadn't moved an inch. Judging by the fact that his phone was nowhere to be seen, he probably hadn't called 911. That was good; it gave them a little more time.

"Lucas!" Henry whispered urgently as he approached the other man.

Lucas turned slowly, and when their eyes finally met, he looked positively gobsmacked. "Henry? How-?"

"Later. Right now, we've got to get out of here. Someone will have heard the shot, and I'd rather not be here when the police arrive."

Henry grabbed a nearby rag and mopped up the thankfully small pool of blood just in front of Lucas. Lucas stared while he worked, looking dazed, before eventually nodding.

"No, you're right. We shouldn't stay here."

Lucas was quiet as he picked himself up off the ground and followed Henry as he made his way back out of the warehouse and toward the car. They moved quickly and quietly, and they were almost home free when they turned a corner and just about ran smack into the police. Henry pushed Lucas into the shadow of the nearest building, crowding up against him and clapping a hand over his mouth, though he'd given no indication he was about to speak.

They stayed pressed there for long moments while the police car drove past slowly. Once it had turned a corner, Henry breathed out a sigh of relief, though he didn't move away. Lucas shifted, not really trying to get free, but he still ended up pressed more firmly against Henry, who was abruptly _aware_ of all the places their bodies were touching. The last words Lucas said to him as he died were suddenly brought to mind. Though surely, surely he hadn't meant...Henry pulled back, the cops out of sight, and took a good look at Lucas.

He'd become fairly adept at reading people over the years, or thought he had anyway, and now that he was paying attention, it seemed blatantly obvious that Lucas had very real feelings for him. He wanted to say something but didn't know what, instead taking hold of Lucas' hand and pulling him along until they finally reached Henry's car.

Henry was sure he would be bombarded with questions once they were safely on their way, but Lucas remained strangely subdued, rubbing circles into the palm of the hand Henry had been holding. Henry had no desire to break the silence, instead focusing on preparing himself for the conversation to come. They arrived back at Henry and Abe's place before long, and Lucas seemed surprised when he realized where they were.

"I imagine you'll have a few questions, and I thought this might be the best place to field them."

Better here than Lucas' apartment, anyway, where Henry thought he remembered mention of there being a roommate. They made their way inside, and Henry breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a note on the refrigerator from Abe, telling him not to wait up.

"Would you care for a cup of tea?" Henry asked, already fiddling with the kettle, putting the conversation off just a few minutes more.

"Uh, sure."

There was the scrape of a chair as Lucas settled at the kitchen table, and Henry had thought to get a few moments to himself, but this was fine. Completely fine. It was.

"Doc..." Lucas started hesitantly. "Henry."

Henry sighed and turned to face him. "I'm functionally immortal."

Lucas looked taken aback by the blunt answer to the question he hadn't yet asked. Not surprising, given Henry's propensity for skirting around personal matters. This, however, was one eventuality he'd known to prepare for; especially with his job, there was a decent likelihood someone would find out. He hadn't expected it to be Lucas, though he didn't suppose who it was mattered much. At least it was someone he counted as a friend, because there was no slightly-plausible lie to be made when you died in someone's arms and your body disappeared.

"Functionally?"

Henry raised an eyebrow, having expected something more along the lines of denial and accusations. "Yes well, as you saw, I did actually die." Lucas flinched, and the tea kettle whistled, and Henry turned away to busy himself with it. "And when I do, I wake up in the river, gasping for breath and naked."

Lucas' eyes were wide when Henry turned back with their tea. "I've taken to hiding a set of clothing nearby for unexpected circumstances. I was lucky tonight that the warehouse wasn't far from where I reappear. And I've never found anything that could make death stick, hence functionally immortal."

"Just how many times have you died?"

"I-I'm afraid I've lost count." There hadn't been much point in keeping track, and after so long, he didn't really want to know anymore.

"That many, huh? I guess you've been around a long time, then."

It wasn't really a question, though Henry could have answered with exactly how long he had been around. "Yes, I'm afraid I am actually quite old. And not to change topics completely, because I will tell you everything," It would be a relief, really. So few people knew that having even one more in his corner would be a huge boon. "but there was something you said, as I was dying..."

Lucas blushed. "You weren't supposed to hear that. Or, you were, but only because I thought you'd be dead."

Henry had assumed as much, but he found himself loathe to ignore it.

Lucas continued on. "And I don't expect anything to come of it, probably especially now, so is there any way we can maybe forget it happened?"

"I'd really rather not," Henry said before he'd really thought it through.

"You. Would rather not ignore talking about feelings that deal with you."

Henry frowned. He hadn't been as bad as all that, had he? Judging by the blank look on Lucas' face, maybe he had. He hadn't meant to close himself off from things as much as he apparently had since Abigail had left. Certainly not to the point where even the hint of a meaningful conversation would cause shock.

"I realize I may sometimes seem a tad unapproachable-" Lucas snorted, and Henry did ignore that. "-but I'm not completely without regard for the feelings of the people I care about."

"And _I'm_ one of the people you care about?" Lucas sounded somewhat skeptical.

Henry nodded. "I'm sorry if I haven't really shown it. As you might imagine, it's difficult when you know that ultimately, everyone is going to leave you one way or another while you continue on."

"I'm sure it is." Lucas stared down into his mug of tea, looking so dejected that Henry couldn't help reaching out, covering Lucas' hand with his own.

"Look, I've been trying to put myself back out in the world. Let people in a little bit more, and I would very much like to continue that in a larger capacity with you. Right now," Henry clarified when Lucas didn't say anything.

"Doc, what are you saying?"

And Henry had thought he was being obvious. Apparently he was going to have to do a little better. He stood up just enough to lean over the table and kiss Lucas. It was short and sweet, and when Henry sat back down, Lucas just said, "Oh."

"I was expecting perhaps a little more enthusiasm than that."

"I just...why? After everything you've told me so far, I don't get it."

"I want to feel _alive_ again, and you are more alive than anyone I know."

Lucas didn't seem convinced, but at this early stage, that was all right; they had time. But for now, "How about I tell you my whole story?"

Lucas smiled at that. "Can't wait to hear it."


End file.
